[Development and validation of a questionnaire assessing physiotherapists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices...

Falls and subsequent long lies lead to significant declines in quality of life and increased mortality among older adults. Physiotherapists play a key role in prevention; however, no validated tool has been available to assess their specific knowledge, attitudes, and practices in this field.

This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire based on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) model regarding fall prevention.

During questionnaire, items were generated through literature review and an expert panel, followed by the assessment of psychometric properties. To evaluate construct validity, a two-parameter logistic item response theory model was applied to the Knowledge domain, while exploratory factor analysis was conducted for the Attitude and Practice domains. Internal consistency was assessed using the Kuder-Richardson-20 (KR-20) coefficient for the Knowledge domain and Cronbach's alpha for the Attitude and Practice domains. To assess reproducibility, 55 physiotherapists completed the questionnaire twice within a ten-day interval; kappa coefficients were calculated for the Knowledge domain, while intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used for the Attitude and Practice domains, followed by Bland-Altman analysis.

The psychometric properties of the final questionnaire were evaluated based on 209 responses. Adequate internal consistency was demonstrated for the Knowledge domain (KR-20 = 0.702), and Attitude and Practice domains (Cronbach's alpha = 0.778 and 0.864, respectively). The Attitude and Practice domains demonstrated a three-factor structure each, explaining 47.2% and 61.32% of the total variance, respectively. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC: 0.869-1.00), and Bland-Altman analysis showed minimal mean differences between test and retest scores.

The developed and validated instrument demonstrates sound psychometric properties; thus, it is suitable for assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and daily practices of physiotherapists and other geriatric care specialist regarding fall prevention.

This questionnaire may contribute to identifying potential areas for improvement in fall prevention, thereby facilitating the more effective clinical implementation of evidence-based fall prevention strategies. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(21): 811-823.